(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to door openers and latches, and more particularly to an opener and latch for the back door of a cotton module builder.
(2) Description of the Related Art
The assignee of this application is the owner of U.S. Pat. No. to Don R. Johnson, 4,313,631.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,631 discloses a cotton module builder. The builder includes a back door or gate which is hinged at its top to the top frame of the module builders. Units built according to this patent are commercially on the market. The back door is raised and lowered by two hydraulic cylinders. The door is held closed by a latch which is hydraulically operated. The hydraulic ram or cylinder which operates the latch is hydraulically connected to the two cylinders which raise the back door. A lost motion mechanism permits the latch bar to raise upward even if the latch cylinder is in the contracted position holding the latch bar down.
In operation of the module, as much as 20,000 pounds of cotton is compressed within the module builder to form the module. Considerable pressure is exerted on the cotton so that it will form a self-contained module which is held together by the seed cotton and burrs within the module itself. The back door is over 61/2 feet tall and about 71/2 feet wide and will weigh about 500 pounds.
To withstand the internal pressures exerted upon the door, particularly when the cotton is being tramped or compressed to form the module, it is necessary to have the door braced, and particularly to have a cross-brace at the point where the doors latch. The door being held closed without a reinforcement bar would tend to buckle at this point and spring open if it were not reinforced for rigidity.